sweet, sweet boy

i love this boy.

dylan is my child.  my middle child.  i know what it feels like to be in the middle.  when we became pregnant with little eli, i realized that we were consciously making dylan a middle child.  some people don't think that birth order influences a person but i disagree.  i think that your place in a family is how you see your place in the world - it shapes who you are.  i'm mindful of my little middle guy and i worry about him.

he has been blessed with so many talents and i have felt from the day he was born, the power of his spirit and the intense love that his heavenly father has for him.

for whatever reason, dylan seems to have had the hardest time adjusting to our move west.  since school began he has had struggles with anger.  he isn't violent towards his teacher or any of his peers, but he has a hard time when his frustrations boil over.  he has stomped his feet, slammed his hands on the table, ripped his art, and cried.  it's not a regular thing but it is a pattern of behavior we have seen repeated a few times over the last few months.

we have discussed his need for self-control.  he looks at us with those dreamy eyes, filled with tears and says, "i don't know...i just get so mad."  i've wondered how can i help this sweet, sweet boy?

we have made a conscious effort to make scripture study and prayer a regular part of our morning.  we've had awesome weeks and then we've had other weeks where monday was the only day we got it all in and the rest of the week just dissolved into homework & extra-curricular mush.

after his last incident at school, we decided to recommit to the scriptures and prayer.  i told dylan that if we make sure to start our morning off right - feasting on the scriptures, and asking for god's blessing - it might help his days to not be so frustrating.

each night, when he returns home, if he has a sticker on his calendar from school it means he had a good behavior day.  each day he'll hop off the bus and let me know that he got a sticker.

last night he quietly came to my side and whispered in my ear, "mom, the scriptures are working."